When school is out for the summer, children who get regular meals at school don't always have somewhere else to turn. During the summer months, they can face food insecurity.
To combat this, the SLO Food Bank's Breakfast Bag program brings meals to at-risk kids throughout the summer.
The food bank partners with members of the community to distribute reusable drawstring backpacks, which are filled with several weeks' worth of balanced breakfasts. Each bag also comes with fresh produce, recipes and activities that offer nutrition education.
The bags are sent to sites that serve families in need.
Because classes in the past school year were virtual or hybrid, the SLO Food Bank extended the program into the school year. The move had never been done before.
"Our families have been receiving breakfast bags for the past 10 months," said Fatmeh Elmasri, Program Supervisor at First 5 in SLO County. "The bags have been a tremendous help during the hard time our community is passing through."
The program is funded through grants from the Albertsons Foundation "Nourishing Neighbors" Campaign, Community Foundation San Luis Obispo County and Central Coast Funds for Children.
